


Fire burns blue

by moonfox281



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics), Under the Red Hood
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Magic, Beauxbatons Dick, Bruce is Hogwarts Principal, Durmstrang Jason, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Fluff, JKR pls do justice to the two schools, M/M, No Smut, Triwizard Tournament, but cute, it's super long, so quarantine material because seriously, this is just long
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:42:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23377090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonfox281/pseuds/moonfox281
Summary: Jason let people talk about him right in front of his face all they wanted. His attention was averted, and the source of distraction was nowhere else than the boy from Beauxbatons standing by the right side of the hall. He wasn’t the only boy among the herd, but he was the only one whose brows danced and whose eyes stared straight back at him as if wanting to devour his soul.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson/Jason Todd
Comments: 25
Kudos: 248





	Fire burns blue

Jason hated him.

Yes, he lowkey hated him. It was a bang conclusion for a first impression, and Dumrstrang students didn’t make quick stupid assumption on people. But the waltz he skipped in by the tips of his toes in a milky blouse with a jabot collar and tight pants did a lot of things that made Jason feel uncomfortable. 

He took the floor and swiped the hall’s attention with the glaze of his dance against rock tiles. Girls in blue split out after the part of his arms from behind his back, their limbs aligned like flower petals. Everybody was looking at them, every single one in the dining hall of Hogwart palace, and they knew it. He knew it.

Those eyes of persian blue sparkled against white shooting stars from their spells as the violins hovered in the air slowly landed down by two sides of the pathway. He tapped the soles of his shoes down against the tiles, small rhythmic clicking sounds of feet against stones. His feet were fast, his hands were even faster. All the girls behind his back were not any less. They moved like an oiled machine. Lots of lines, lots of jumps and breaks. Smoothly, fastly, elegantly.

Each time their fingers danced in the air and spread out to those on the tables by two sides, Hogwart kids ogled and gasped after the shy little smirked of sweet lips and shadowed under lashes framed eyes. Perhaps it was the first in their lives to ever witness that many beauties clustered in one place, in their home, a mundane shackle of muggle half-bloods and unaesthetic commoners. 

By the end of their presentation, Beauxbatons kids ordered on the step of the end of the room. The guy swayed down his knees, made a couple of turns with his jointed bones, flipped his sleeves like a landing pigeon and finally offered his hand, which his principle took graciously. 

Madam Prince was every bit of a goddess. Her feet set her standing greater than even Principal Wayne. Her chin turned down to look down Hogwart children beneath her, smiling. The fall of her fountain hair pooled down the tail of her velvet cloak and bloomed on the floor in waves like the ocean in starless nights. Her flawless face contoured of confidence and gravity that kept even the bravest from keeping their gaze. 

Surrounded by her feet were her children, graceful creatures, beauties of all colors. Somehow, Jason’s eyes always found a pattern to fall back on him.

“Flashy.” was what Artemis muttered under her breath with a taste of scorn from where they stood at the doorway. Some of the Beauxbatons leftover butterflies spells had flown to their place, and she flicked them with disgust. “They hurt my teeth and I don’t know why.”

“Typical Beauxbatons.” Jason huffed and looked back from his shoulder. Kate was looking at him by the end of the line. She gave him a slight nod, it meant she wanted him to go with her.

Jason smirked. If attention was what she wanted, he should handle it just fine.

He patted Artemis’s shoulder and gave her one last laugh before going down the last line. “Time to blow their minds.” 

He fixed his coat, and they all waited for the cue. 

Unlike the Beauxbatons who danced by the tiptoes into the hall, Jason and his crew marched in on long strengthed steps of weighted feet. Head straight, eyes forward, chest out, knees tight and feet at forty five angle. This was what they called a walk. 

Marching was no game. It was pride. It was art. They aligned and stroke every single footfall insync not only together but after the rhythm of each hit their fire staffs made down the floor. And if they were cracking the tiles and blowing off candles on the chandeliers with each drum of fire spells hitting against each other, it was Hogwart to blame for such poor facilities. 

Jason strode in next to Kate. On her irons heels, she walked head by head with him, eyes down on every single thing at the front. Jason made no faces. He squinted his eyes, a frown drawn itself right between the notch of his eyebrows. This was part of their march, no playing, no joking around. If any overexcited Hogwart kid too high on their spotted dick and jumped on his way, he would gladly grind them against the tiles by his boot soles just so their parents could hardly even recognize them. 

He heard them whispered, shy little murmurs like the echo of rodden feet running around corners of an old castle when someone came. 

“Bruce.” Kate handed over her hand to her cousin, an ever tired man with hollow eye sockets and an ill pale skin. 

“Katherine.” He welcomed, just as short and simple. 

“It’s been a long time.” 

“It has been only four years.”

“And little has changed in this place.” She took a swipe of the eyes down the children around tables. The free little lock of her buned up fiery hair shook after the turn of her head when she called for Jason.

“This is Jason Todd. I’m sure you’ve heard of him.”

Bruce Wayne sucked in a breath. “Yes, the Al Gul’s ward.”

“It’s an entertaining turn of event, isn’t it? Even after Talia’s dismissal of her Head Master chair, he’s still the pointed heir. Treat him right, and maybe one day the fortune of Al Gul can come as an aid in a worse time.”

He looked down from the nose at Jason, who wasn’t any inch shorter than him. “We’ll see.”

Jason let them talk about him right in front of his face all they wanted. His attention was averted, and the source of distraction was nowhere else than the boy from Beauxbatons standing by the right side of the hall. He wasn’t the only boy among the herd, but he was the only one whose brows danced and whose eyes stared straight back at him as if wanting to devour his soul. He leaned back on a poll, face tilted down but there was no mistake in the charming glow of blue light under the heavy frame of curly black hair.

If he kept smirking at Jason like that, he might as well unshed his sword and pierce him right in the face. And the night was just getting started. 

__________________________________________________

“Have you seen their dresses? I heard they were all sewed by silk and pegasuses mane. That’s why they never lose their color.”

“He’s even more dazing in real life. I’ve seen his play of The Nutcracker. Absolutely magnificent!”

“But Todd was vicious. And he’s so handsome.”

“His strike in the last Quidditch match broke the Irish Seeker’s broom. Madness!”

Dick bit back a graceless laugh and flicked around his food. From across the table, Donna’s brows were wriggling at him.

“What?” He asked through the slit of his smirk. 

“You’re dishonoring the food.”

Dick huffed. “I wish there were any to honor. They serve pumpkin juice for beverage. What awfulness has come to the rum and punches?”

“Someone is steaming a bad mood tonight.” Kory nudged her elbow at Donna and they both turned laughing at him. “He’s unhappy because the Hogwart kids didn’t talk more of him than the lovely handsome man he had spent all night staring.”

Dick gasped. “Ladies, I had not!”

“Please, the only bigger ridicule of not admitting your fanciness over the last two years Quidditch champion is not realizing he himself had stared back at you all night.” Donna and Kory looked over his shoulders, and spread their smiles. “In fact, he’s staring at you now.” 

Dick sat up straight and turned his head back. Yes, Todd was looking at him. In fact, his face didn’t make a move when caught, and the only one left to quickly retreat their graze was Dick.

“He’s staring like he wants his sword down my neck.”

“Well, men carry two swords. You don’t know which one.”

This time, they all laughed. The merry of them must have been heard from across the four tables of Hogwart because soon enough, Dick found his shoulder being tapped by a firm call.

He turned back, and his eyes immediately lit up.

“Roy!” 

He jumped off his seat and came crashing in Roy’s arm, knocking him back a few steps.

“Wow wow, easy there tiger.” He sounded full of joy tucking his rusty ginger head down the crock of Dick’s neck. “I miss you too. Look at you, all glow up now.”

“Said you, I’ve heard you were the school champion last year.”

“Yeah, no biggie. And last year it still is.”

“Oh please let the glory be a delightful memory rather than a sorrow contempt of your aging.”

Roy laughed. “You and your wording. Speaking of, no match this year. Since people are all over the World Championship, plus all the fuses happening in town lately.”

“Yes, of course. In my memory, Bruce never spared the havoc of Hogwart. I see it has found a long way from improvement.”

“Quite likely. Anyway, come. Let me introduce you to my friends. Some of them are quite excited to see you.”

Dick’s smile couldn’t help seal when Roy practically dragged him over to Hogwart tables of Gryffindor. Red lions, how cute.

“Dick, this Stephanie, Timothy. You two already know Dick here.”

“Yes! I do.” Stephanie shouted, which shuttered Dick for a moment. She was a small lady with a vibrant nest of golden hair and brown freckles across her cheeks and nose bridge. She seemed tiny next to Roy drowning in her coat of red and yellow as the rest of her fellow lions. “I’ve seen your play of The Nutcracker over and over again. You were the star! You were magnific!” She had her attempt of French and it turned successful in freezing every bit of Dick’s smile. “You’re even more beautiful without the makeup, how on earth-”

“Steph, you’re embarrassing yourself.” said the cute one by her side. A brunette with big shallow eyes and slender shoulders. Dick hadn’t noticed before, the boy had a different attire from Roy and Stephanie. Blue, not red. 

“Ravenclaw.” 

The boy’s eyes lit up. “Yes, how do you know?”

Roy laughed out loud. “Kid, Principal Wayne is his father. He probably knows more of the school history than any of us.”

The kid's eyes sized up. Dick rolled his eyes. “Adopted. Adopted father only.”

“Principal Wayne?”

Now everyone was looking at them. Everyone in the hall, including Bruce at the head table. 

Dick gave him a small wave, a little courtesy. He was all about not being ignored in the first place.

“Let’s go back to our seats. Principal Wayne is about to present the trophy.”

Roy ushered them back to their tables, didn’t forget to give Dick a strong pat down his butt before jumping back to his seat. When Dick returned, Donna and Kory had their arms entwined and were grinning to the point of horror.

“You two wouldn’t find any partner for Yule Ball with that hideous expression.” Dick sat down, didn’t forget to take a quick glance toward Dumrstrang table and quickly turned away, cursing in French because that poised asshole was still openly glaring daggers at his back. 

“How come the best ones are always yours?”

“What in the grace...”

“The boys! They always flick and flock around you like flies to a sugar cube.”

Dick sat down and picked a strawberry from the hoovered plates. “I shall interest you with an answer once I find a better reason for all the criticism of my eminence.”

They both rolled their eyes. “Who is he, by the way?”

“Roy Harper, former head boy. He’s a caretaker of Gryffindor now.”

“And he’s older than you.”

Dick bit his lip with a smile. Kory only laughed louder. “You are either oblivious or pretend to be. Is that how you charm them, that devilish innocent side?”

Dick said none but a wink. 

They finally settled to silence when Bruce made his way in the middle of the room to prepare the announcement speech. 

“Attention, please.” Bruce still knew how to raise his voice without actually raising his voice. 

A single signal from Hogwart Head Master caught the whole room in meek silence. Two men carried a divine wooden chest in the middle of the room. It was bigger than even Bruce, carved of fornomanal details and charmed with all the prettiest colored rocks. 

“Eternal glory,” was what Bruce said when he touched the thing. “That is what awaited students who win the Triwizard Tournament. But to do that, these students must survive three tasks.” He glanced down his children. “Three extremely dangerous tasks.”

And now he was looking at Dick. He then tapped his wand three times on the casket. 

Wood parted and the chest opened. Inside, the Goblet of Fire burst aflame. 

The blue fire set the room back into the bits of chaos and excitement. For children of early years, this was probably their first time ever witness the artifact of glory. But for Dick, who had grown up under the same roof with Bruce and traveled along his journey for most of his childhood, he had seen the goblet many enough.

“Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet. Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. And by tomorrow night, the goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete.”

He was still looking at Dick. His eyes lingered, they wanted to tell him something. 

Dick found himself straightened his back unconsciously. It was true he and Bruce had hardly contacted throughout the years of his study at Beauxbatons. But it wasn’t as if Dick didn’t make way home on winter breaks, or hadn’t he given out pigeons and rings from French. 

Was Bruce warning him from participation in the tournament?

“Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. ” 

He was.

He bloody was.

Dick fumed of fury, of embarrassment. How dare he, after all this time. After all this time he spent away and alone at Beauxbatons, learning, forgetting, forgiving. With distance, he had adapted the heart to finally befriend with the truth of Bruce’s nature in controlling and possessiveness. 

Bruce loved him. And Dick, at heart, learned that the man loved him but failed to show, yet he couldn’t accept his becoming being drastically denied. He was no longer a boy. He was no longer short nor small enough to shield himself behind the coat tail of Hogwart Head Master, 

“Be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared for the game.”

Dick slammed down the table and shot up on his feet. 

Blood rose to his head on every straight step he set toward his foster father. He was well aware the attention on him was outright. Yearning his neck, Dick refused to flee and surrender under Bruce’s fearsome pale eyes. 

The folded napkin in his palm was released, a taintless bird of white. With an nonverbal spell, he blew the thing and set it to fly into the blue flames of enchanted goblet. 

“I shall take the game.”

Silence was what left, until the cheer raged on and waved over the four walls. Everybody clapped, whistled, screamed. Donna and Kory hugged each other and screamed his name, Roy on Gryffindor even set his foot on the table and punched fists in the air. Dick bathed in the attention, ate in Bruce’s little twitch on his expressionless mask of behavior.

On the head table, he caught Diana smiling. 

* * *

“That was a bold move.”

Dick was chatting with his classmates when he caught him leaning on the wall by the study room doorframe. 

Dick’s classmates took a look at him, grinned and excused themselves. Perhaps they saw his potential to be another name on his list of victims. Perhaps he would be. 

“And you thought I couldn’t be bold?”

Jason watched his footfalls receded their distance. Off the fluffy blouse and flat shoes, he clicked back in an image of a standard Beauxbatons student with a celtic waistcoat and a paler blue blouse. His soy colored pants form fitted after surprisingly long legs and hugged high up to half of his shallow waist. Two lines of buttons, three on each. 

Rest by the tall of his neck, just above the collar were a grey butterfly bow. And rest on his face, just below the hazy almond shaped blues and curly lashes, was an inviting smile.

Jason squinted his eyes and didn’t attempt to hide his disappointment. He was just as many and little as any other Beauxbatons kids. Pretty, charming, good dressing, and nothing more but the drastic care of outlook and first impression.

Jason had expected some fun during his join in the tournament. After all, he deemed to win. Better winning with joy rather than boredom. 

“I didn’t know swans have a male.”

Dick cocked his head. “Pardon?”

“I saw you danced on the tip of your feet down the room last night. The Triwizard Tournament wouldn’t be a theater.”

“I know.” He changed his voice, lower this time. The smile was still there but there was a certain weight added on his voice that Jason felt by spirit. “And just for your interest, it wouldn’t be Quidditch either.”

Dick sucked in a breath and fixed his standing, back curved, chest out, chin up. If he could be bigger than a Dumrstrang boy, the least let it be him the better mannered. 

“You’re Jason Todd. The Al Gul’s ward.” 

“And you’re Dick Grayson. Wayne’s child.”

“Adopted. Must there be a sign?”

“It doesn’t matter. You think you’ll be favored in the game because of your father.”

“That thought is just as bold and dull as your choice of hairstyle.” Dick chuckled when Jason seemed taken aback. “Perhaps it is indeed a little bit too much to expect your nature to be less of a barbarian than...what you seem exactly to be.”

What a pity. His grungy face actually held an odd charm that Dick wasn’t the only fool to catch. Thus, his stiffly posture and uncomfy strictness of footwork was a startling display of strength and masculinity. 

Of course, in the end, Dick finally settled him no more than the same plainly dressed but brute Dumrstrang kids offendedly overconfident with their muscle growth and tasteless understandings of life. 

Dick had perceived on leaving without much of a bother when his arm was grasped and pulled by fierce strength. He found himself slammed into the wall and looked down by the great shadow Jason Todd’s frowny face cast down. 

He lowered his face and pushed close to Dick’s. With a sniff, Dick could smell all of him. He reeked an ashy scent of smoke and tangy iron.

“You wouldn’t make it through the first task with that attitude. Students have died, why do you think those under seventeen are forbidden? It’s birdbrain like your kind that has overwinned themselves and dishonored the tournament.”

Fierce. So crude. 

Dick must have hit his head somewhere to find them attractive. Maybe it would be fun to toy him a little. 

“I’ve been called worse things by better people.”

Dick hooked a leg around Jason’s thigh, grasped on the front of his robe. He stared straight into those smoky blue eyes and watched them size up.

“I don’t need to get through the task.” He whispered. “I’ll win every one of it.” He licked his lips and bit the inside just a little. Enough to show teeth. Enough for Jason to see how blood red his lips were. “Mayhap, there’s no need in chasing the cup. I can just have it handed to me.” 

He glazed a finger down the trap of his belt. “And all I need is ask.”

Wind of the last whispered singsonged by Jason’s ear hit straight through his skin and crawled across naked bones. 

A chill ran along his spine and in a mist of daze, Jason jerked away from the Beauxbatons boy. He was the one trapped and cornered by Jason and the wall, and earlier he had looked small, fragile, breakable. Now, he was smirking at Jason from the frame of raven hair with blood red lips as hiding fangs and waiting to tear his neck. 

And for a moment, for a long moment. Jason had listened to the melody of his voice and stayed frozen. It was a very sweet voice. Like melted butter on cornbread and liquid gold on iron blade. 

“Jason?” 

Jason snapped his head and saw Artermis and Victor standing with each other from behind the door. It seemed like they had stood there for quite some time. 

Dick slipped out from under Jason’s arm and fixed his waistcoat. “Au revoir, Dumrstrang.”

He made an extra sway of hip toward Jason’s friends, blew a light charm at them and clicked the steady soles of his laced leathers away.

Jason leaned on the wall, tried to process what on earth had happened just minutes ago.

“You okay?” Victor came asking. His eyes were still after the shadow Dick’s left on the stones by the end of the hallway. If he had stared a tad too long down the bottom of Dick Grayson, it was only Jason that noticed. 

“How long have you guys been standing there?”

Artemis shrugged. “Long enough.”

Jason groaned. 

“He got you.”

“He did not get me. He’s half of my size.”

“But clearly you’re the one ended up flustered.” Artemis chuckled. “I don’t remember seeing you this flushed ever since I choked you.”

Because Jason, of all things, was still a completely normally functional person. He had eyes and nose and a clear understanding of what beauty was. And Dick Grayson, by all means, was a very alluring creature.

“Be careful, Jason. He’s part veelas.”

“He’s what?”

Victor laughed. “Lots of Beauxbatons kids are part veelas. It shows beyond their outlook. You were probably hypnotized just there.” 

No, not probably. Definitely. 

He could still feel his hand on him. Those sapphire gems on him. Bluer than even the flames of the Goblet. 

Jason must have gone crazy. And he must have shown it on face, because for his misery, Artemis and Victor were looking at each other and grinning now. 

“This isn’t what you two think.”

“We’re not thinking anything. Don’t be so sensitive.”

Jason groaned again. His two friends only got more humored by his reaction. 

They ended up practicing Quidditch in Hogwarts campus. Jason was out for blood and everybody knew it. He was known to be an awfully brutal beater, but he knew he was vicious today.

Hogwart kids were, well, they had their tries. But by the fourth match when Jason stroke the bludgers and brought a Beater, a Chaser and finally the Seeker down the ground, it was all over. These kids had spirits, but Jason and his team were professionals. They didn’t take Quidditch as a game.

There were people circulated by the playground, mostly Hogwart students free of their classes, some were teachers that had known Jason and some from his school team due to their plays at the World Championship.

Jason lowered down the ground, and immediately, these uncultured people rushed over him. They pushed over his steps, muttered all the kinds of things. 

“Look at him, a celebrity now.”

Rose sat down next to Artemis and started tending her broom. They watched Jason getting the unwanted fame of his life and ate in his expression with joy. 

“Hey, look.” Rose pointed her wand toward the corridor of the south wing. Dick was spotted dancing on his feet chatting with students of Hogwarts and Beauxbatons huddled behind his tail.

“Jason’s little swan.” Artemis huffed.

“The one our champion spent the whole feast staring at?” Rose sat straight up and took a better look at him from afar. “Pretty. But aren’t they all.”

“He’s something. He’s the first to put his name in the Goblet of Fire after all.”

“Quite a bold move.”

“He thought the same too.” Artemis threw her chin at Jason who was doing swings with his and frowning at his crowd so hard it looked kind of painful. “Grayson seemed to have given him a handful.”

“Really? Maybe he can actually have a shot for the cup.”

“Don’t underestimate them. They’ve won the Triwizard Tournament for sixty two times.”

“I don’t underestimate them. It’s just good to get surprises out of stereotypes.” Rose stood up and fixed her robe. “Watch me.”

She did something with her wand. Artemis saw it. Unlike most of Hogwart students still casting verbal spells until the late of their study, Dumrstrang spared no abundance in wording each spell and charm that only reduced their practicability. 

It was a jinx, and Rose’s target was no other than a bludger. Artemis could already see where this was going. 

The ball went flying off a student’s hands and out of control, it became. 

“Watch out!”

The already chaotic bludger now under a jinx turned additionally boggling. It zoomed through crowds of students, passed the stretching players on the ground in their surprise, bounced in the ground and smashed broken a statue. 

As expected from Rose, before any teacher could wave their wands and put an end to the bludger, Jason came with his wooden club and stroke on the ball. Jason Todd’s infamous ruthless swing of the club proved it receive fame with reasons. So the ball went flying toward the case one Hogwart player was holding, back at home. 

A harmless prank was what Rose sought though. She waved her wand again. “Mobilisphera.”

The bludger went jumping just when it was about to hit the case, speeding out of the courtyard and toward the corridor. 

“You’re evil.” Artemis chuckled and watched the ball directed straight toward Dick Grayson’s group of people.

Dick immediately pulled his friend out of target in others’ sudden yelps and they all stopped their breaths when it struck the wall with might and ruined the bricks. A loud crash was caused echoing along the length of the hallway. Without a break, the bludger wriggled out from the hole it made on the wall. 

Quickly, Dick pulled out his wand from his blouse sleeve and cast the ball into an explosion while it was in midair. 

In the yard, everyone was much amazed, Rose and Artemis included. 

“Expulso? Non-verbally?”

“That’s the first.” Artemis agreed. 

In the corridor, everyone was still at daze of the sudden attack.

“What on Earth just happened?” Kyle shuttered in awe and turned to Dick. “You alright?” He grabbed on Dick’s shoulders and turned him right and left. 

“I’m fine, Kyle. I’m unharmed.”

They all turned toward the yard where the whole Quidditch team was gathered. It didn’t need much to connect the dots.

“Here comes the fun.” Rose chuckled.

Kyle was the first to approach Jason whose hand still owned the wooden club. A bludger with such force could have only been hit under the hands of a Beater. 

“You must have been a fool to try and assassinate one of our students. Him to speak of.” He threw his chin back at Dick and glared back at Jason. “The Goblet may have chosen yours and his name. But don’t be that desperate.”

Jason might have made quite a handful of wrong presumptions of Beauxbatons Academy when they first made their entrance the night of the feast, but one thing he knew for sure now, they could all jab with their tongues, no matter how beautiful of a sound they made.

“That wasn’t intentional.” was a very plain attempt of explanation from Jason, thus his immobile face made no help. 

Kyle, of course, couldn’t take it. He huffed off bitterness and laughed at Jason. “So much for Sturm und Drang. You wouldn’t be able to grasp the understanding that a cup is just a cup after so many.”

The moment he said it, the other girls from Beauxbatons started snickering with each other. It was well-known that the efficient execution of languages was a prominent qualification for the academy’s institute. Even their mockeries were very much poems and riddles to mundane ears. While Hogwart students struggled to understand the meaning of Kyle’s joke, Jason was just a bit behind to grasp the meaning. 

“Enough, Kyle.” Dick was the first to reach out. He later whispered something in French by Kyle’s ear that had him withdrawing his defense expression. 

It was Dick that in the end, stepped over and put a hand on his face, bowing multiple toward everyone in the yard. 

“My apology for the disturbance. May it be just a fortuneless incident.” 

Rose shook and gasped when her wand suddenly burnt in her hand and flopped down the grass. She looked back in shock and realized Dick’s clear blue glance swiped over her among the crowd for a mere second. 

“Busted.” was what Artemis gave Rose under the sneer of her lips. 

“How can he...” Rose picked up her wand. “I want him.” 

“You’re not the only one interested.”

Jason was staring rather bluntly down the curvy locks of Dick’s shiny hair. It wasn’t usual for boys from Dumrstrang to grow the length of their hair nor the girls to keep theirs freely fall on the shoulders. To marvel the crown of Dick’s head from top down to the part and the ends licking the long neck and touching the nape, was quite an exquisite experience. 

And each time those eyes look up at him from below, a strange feeling burst down Jason’s stomach and made his fingers tingle to do something.

It was only until he watched after the leftover footsteps of Beauxbatons crew leaving the yard, did Jason realize maybe it wasn’t too late for a fresh start.

* * *

“It’s dragons!”

Dick blinked when the Ravenclaw kid suddenly jumped out of nowhere and pushed his face toward Dick among the old books in Hogwarts library. 

“I’m sorry?”

Tim looked around and whispered lowered. “The first task of the tournament. It’s dragons.”

Dick blinked again and once the sense hit him, he looked around to secure that they were all alone in the corner. He dropped his head close enough so even their breaths shared. In a hint of moment, Dick caught Tim’s cheeks darken.

“And where exactly did you hear that?”

“I… I was told by- by um… a friend in the woods. They’re keeping the dragons in the woods.”

Dick hummed. Dragons. He could work with dragons, he had before back in the day with the Magical Circus of Harley. But the kinds he was familiar with were timid, friendly. This year Hogwart was the host of the game, and this school was never famous for being a safe and sound environment, so he had witnessed and heard from Bruce. There would be no assurance that they wouldn’t turn the supposed glory game of championship into a hunger bloodbath. 

“Timothy,” He smiled down at the Ravenclaw kid. Ravenclaw was famous for being booknerd, smart with letters and numbers, but not so fast on physical contact. He was just a pinch of grass to Dick’s experience. 

“Timothy, Timothy,” He chanted. “Do you happen to know of which part of the wood they keep these glory creatures at?”

Tim swallowed. Oh God oh God oh bloody God. Their faces were so close he could almost count the lashes on Dick’s eyes.  
“I...I can d-draw you a map.”

His shutter was cute, and the kid’s legs were slowly slipping on the tiles. Dick smiled and touched a hand on his face.

“Thank you.” He leaned and landed a kiss on his forehead. “It takes great courage and kindness to reach out for your enemy.”

Tim shook his head drastically. “You’re not enemy!”

“I am to Hogwart champion.”

“Barbara is great. But...you’ve always been my champion.”

Oh. Dick stepped back in awe.

“Principal Wayne’s talked lots about you. He usually describes you as the future of the wizarding world.” Tim swallowed again. “He’s said you had cast countless spells even before school, and how often you charm without a wand rather than with one. He told me that you’re one of the greatest of our generation.”

“He didn’t tell you that.” Dick denied.

“He did! He told all of us.”

“Well, that’s very generous of him. The thought of him valuing me has never heartfully crossed my mind.”

“What?”

“That’s all for today.” Dick smirked before turning on his feet. “I hope we can keep contacts in the near future, Timothy.”

On the way out, he crossed path with Jason. All he intended was a sly smile of courtesy before ignoring him until the rest of the tournament. Yet, Jason thought differently.

He immediately pulled on Dick’s arm when their shoulders bumped each other. 

“The first task is dragons.”

Dick dropped his jaw. 

“You must be joking.”

“I’m not.” He grunted. 

That wasn’t what Dick meant, but of course, how could the Durmstrang jock knew he was informed of the same by Tim literally minutes ago. 

Jason leaned forward, whispering into his ear. “Three for each of us.”

Dick held back his breath. Jason stung of smoke again. Was he out there casting fire to a village or what?

“Thank you, though I fail to recognize your plot behind this.”

“I’m not plotting anything. It’s just fair for you to know what’s ahead, once that I do.”

“If speaking of fairness, does the Hogwart girl know too?”

Jason huffed. “I told her just before you.”

Surprised was a way to describe it. Dick didn’t expect that from him. “That seems a rather proper act.”

“I don’t plan on winning in advance.”

Dick laughed out loud. His ridiculous ego and massive competitive strike were rather humorous, yet the enthusiasm for fairness and genuine entertainment put a rare strange charm on his total character. 

Thus, he wasn’t half bad looking at all. Even the murderous frown he kept constant on his face owned an oddly attractive side.

“I’ll see you on the day of Weighing the Wands.” 

For now, a friendly smile was what Dick willing to give him. But at heart, he was fully interested. 

* * *

Jason later realized that perhaps he had made a fool of himself informing Dick the subject of their first task. Right on the day of the first game, he singly witness the same girl from his school who had helped caretaking the dragons and snipped him the information, did a playful wink toward Dick as if secret lovers behind a church. 

His schoolmate probably had told him about all of her ancestors and family history not least the dragons of the match. 

The moment Dick picked up a Welsh Green from the leather pouch, he seemed unfazed, a little smirk even. 

For Jason, fighting the Swedish Short-Snout wasn’t much of a threat. The Al Gul castle kept two dragons down their vault to keep their fortune and secrets safe. Back in his young ages, Jason was the first to feed them, and til these days, he was also the only to befriend them. 

The Swedish Short-Snout wasn’t his friend, but it shared the same weaknesses and characters of any other dragons. And the thing about dragons that most missed to understand, was that much like humans, they were an individual when standing alone, but they actually worked in herd. And in the herd, the bigger more intimidating one was always the Alpha.

Jason ran out the stadium and the first thing he did was summoning a fire spell. Fire attracted dragons. It gave them a sign of congeners.

As expected, the dragon came from its hideout right away. Jason’s flames were small, just enough to draw the animal out. It danced off toward the boom of Jason’s flames and away from the golden egg. Seconds was all he needed to get closer to the location of the egg.

He merely managed to hide behind a pile of rocks when the dragon turned back. He had gotten close enough that if of chance the animal flew up, it would see him immediately. He needed a good distraction to get to the fun part. 

Jason looked up from the rock, saw that the dragon was spreading wings. Terrible timing. He better get it done fast.

He threw a couple of shots of his wand toward the back of the beast, creating holographic images of himself out in the open. Dragon was simple minded creature, it jumped toward the hologram immediately. 

Now was finally the fun part of the party. Jason stood up straight from his hideout, popping joints in his neck and chanted. “Fiendfyre.” 

From his wand born oceans of fire, burning, lively, deadly, and in a drastic moment, they formed a dragon. It took quite a time to put enough fire force to make a larger sized dragon than the Swedish Short-Snout, but boy was it a beauty. 

Jason grinned toothily as he watched his flaming creation circle around the real dragon with great heat, scaring the creature at might while Jason nonchalantly jogged in his controlled pit of fire toward the golden egg. 

On the grandstand, Steph shouted in disbelief among the thriving reaction of the crowd. “That’s dark magic!”

Next to her, Rose rolled her eyes and scooted further away. “Sit down, blondy. Dark magic is magic too. It’s not the end of the world.”

Steph’s jaw dropped down. “How can you be so vagant about it! It’s dark magic, and he’s even experienced with it.”

“It’s what we do. It’s what we learn at school, sweetheart. And Jason here is happened to be just as good at learning as playing Quidditch.”

Tim instantly grabbed on Steph’s wrist and pulled her down on her seat, glaring at the toothy grin Rose gave them. 

“Don’t worry, lads. We might execute dark magic at Durmstrang but our students and teachers don’t go disappeared or died in vast and oblivion like your place.”

Steph swallowed down her anger and turned to Tim. “I’d love to argue with that but I can’t.”

Down the ground, Jason picked up the golden egg and smirked. He waved the thing toward the judges' table, chin toward the sky.

While Bruce threw a disapproving glance toward Kate through the slit of his eyes, she was busy smiling down her boy in pride. 

“A win is a win. Don’t be a hypocrite.”

Diana nodded. “I’ll give him a nine out of ten. Fiendfyre is a complex form of magic not many could perform with his precision.” She then smiled too. “And not many could perform at such an early age.”

Sitting in between, Bruce was the furthest from please. 

Jason hugged the egg he won and jumped toward the stole of champion in cheers. His friends and schoolmates congratulated him, but he was more eager to witness the coming match from Beauxbatons champion.

Under the drums, Dick walked out from the entrance. His component was a Welsh Green. The breed was smaller than Jason’s Short-Snout, and even slier in human contact. Jason had spent nights studying every species in the library before the actual match. He knew the Welsh Green only preyed on small mammals, often more were sheep. One interesting fact about them, was that the Welsh Green was quite receptive toward music. Even their roar was rather distinctive and somewhat melodious. 

Jason’s big bet was that Dick would cast a mellow magical slumber, a rather advanced charm for a student yet he knew Dick was fully capable of casting, on the dragon and put the creature to sleep.

Dick walked out and not with an ounce of hesitance did his footfalls carry. He was getting so close toward the dragon nest that the whole crowd was standing up from their seats anxious. 

The dragon hid behind the rocks at first when spotted Dick from afar, but the closer he got, the more disturbed it showed to be. Slowly, the creature crawled out of his hideout and circled itself around the egg. Its spikes and wings rose and warning. 

Jason yearned forward in his seat, unsettled himself. Dick was getting too close, far too close for any form of enchantment. What was he planning? Why was he just walking like that? There was no way the dragon would just back off and let him take the egg.

Finally, Dick pulled out his wand when the dragon had felt threatened enough to bare teeth from afar. Once again, he waved his wand and struck a pattern without a need to voice the incantation. 

The light hit the dragon, and immobile it became. Its wings ceased close, mouth shut. Like a sawed tree, it fell back and slammed down the ground in a tight bundle of muscle. 

Everybody was speechless. On the judges' table, only Diana stayed unfazed by her student’s performance. Kate stood off her chair and looked down with her lips parted. Jason hadn’t ever seen that much of an expression coming from her after all their time together. 

The whole crowd held their breath watching Dick pick up the egg right by the immobile dragon and returned to the champion camp. 

“What did he just do?” Victor uttered.

Tim looked down the last steps Dick took before vanishing after the blind of the entrance. “I think that was a full body bind curse.”

All of Jason’s friends and Steph turned back to look at Tim.

“Impossible. I’ve never seen the curse executed on such a large creature before.”

“Well, technically, under a certain great _great_ amount of mental discipline and an awful deal of practice with a rightful wand, it’s possible.” Tim struggled to explain to everyone. “Though I don’t know how he pulled that nonverbally.”

Back on the judges' table, Diana smiled down to herself and glanced toward Bruce and Kate. Perhaps it was only her imagination, but she spotted a curve by the end of Bruce’s lips in a hint of second. 

“Did I or did I not just witness the vastest task performance in the history of the Triwizard Tournament?”

No one answered to Kate. Needless to say, it was a legendary day for the Daily Prophet. 

* * *

“Should I print it?”

Donna looked down on Dick who lazed out on the couch by the fire. He was a creature of heat, and by all means, the weather of Hogwart land wasn’t doing any of Beauxbatons students a favor.

“It’s an article. Three weeks old article no least.”

“It’s an article about our school impression to the whole Triwizard Tournament history, Mr. Champion. I’m sure Ms. Prince had made an arrangement to have it framed on our Hall of Glory.”

Dick groaned and curled further into a bundle of blanket. Coming back to Hogwart after so many years only reminded him how much he actually hate this place and its location. 

He missed the sun and the blue sky, the decades-old wine and the crockery salad bowl, the silver table finery and his duck feather pillows. He had no heart to mention the food nor the architecture here. Some were better off-topic for the sake of curtsies.

His time at Beauxbatons may or may not had spoiled him and enriched his standard in most forms of art, but in his solid defense, both his mother and father were of old blood of the French in the end. 

Kyle laid down by Dick’s legs and rested his head just on the sunk of his waist. 

“So now two more months until the next task, does our prince here care to share the secret of cursing a dragon?”

“Practise makes perfection.”

Kyle slapped down Dick’s butt that forced a merry laughter out of him. “I’m joking. I was off in the wood practicing on alpines and raven’s towers. Took me more than a week, but the effort paid off well.”

“The poor trees. Better them than the Abraxans.”

“Please, I would never.”

“You know it would have been easier if you just spell it like anyone else.”

Dick quirked his brows. “And spare the grace of a muted charm?”

“They all lack the matter of grace here so to speak. My stomach was greatly offended by their attempt of _the green fairy_ this morning.” 

“I miss our lovely wood nymphs and bed serve breakfasts.”

They were all chatting when a knock came on the door. Seconds later, Cheyenne walked in with a cat smile on Dick. “Someone is in need of your attention.”

All turned to look at him. 

“Don’t break any heart today.”

When Dick got out, it was Jason who leaned by the stone wall and stared blankly toward the empty air.

Dick shivered when emerged to the hallway. He was only in his nightwear and so was Jason, yet he proved to be untroubled by the cutting cold of Scotland’s December. 

“You’ve called for me?” 

Jason turned back and punched his right chest before a bow, a heathen greeting of the military world that Dick denied to understand. 

“My apology for the late disturbance.” 

Dick bit back a smile and wrapped the robe tighter around himself. “You may cut the courtesy.”

Jason looked up from the ground and started scratching his head. He made sly back and forth steps with his feet, eyes down his laced boot the whole time. 

Dick could hardly recognize the same boy casting a Fiendfyre spell like a master on the day of the first task. 

“Is there something bothering you?”

“Yes!” Jason jumped forward. Dick quickly took a few steps back. “I’m sorry.”

It was a struggle, and Jason took more than enough deep breath before continuing. “So, the Yule Ball is coming.”

Dick smirked. “I’m well aware.”

Dick had a feeling what Jason was preparing to say. He wasn’t the first in the day after all, but he was the one Dick hoped for.

“And I was wondering...” Jason swiftly looked back behind his shoulder, started shuttering. “I was wondering...um, would you by chance...”

Dick squinted his eyes and looked through the broad of his shoulder. “Are those your schoolmates?”

“My what?”

Dick rolled his eyes and waved his index finger. As expected, all eleven of Durmstrang representatives came down the floor in a pile. 

“I told you coming was a terrible idea.” was a not so small whisper that perhaps even Dick’s friends could have caught behind the closed door. 

Dick crossed his hand, unpleased. “What are you all doing in here?”

Jason hung his mouth slack. From behind, his friends started complaining. “Just say it Todd! It’s cold down here.”

“Jason-”

“Dancing!” Jason shouted. Now he was scaring Dick. “Right, dancing. I...w-we were wondering whether it would be a problem for you to care and teach us the art of dancing.”

Dick blinked. “You want me to teach you dancing?!”

“Yes…” Jason turned back to look at his friends who were all shaking violently. 

Dick squinted his eyes. “How disappointing.”

“It proves useless to us in most circumstances...wait, what?”

Dick snorted. “Don’t mock on art while you lack the ability to portray it. I sort of expected from you, that’s all.” 

He looked back at Jason’s...pile of friends down the floor. Were they not cold? Why on Earth were their nightwears all similar? That red hair girl was even bigger than Dick. 

They were all sad blant pieces of chess, and their lack of color pissed Dick off.

“Fine.” Dick decided. 

“Really?”

“You ask one more thing and I might change my mind.” Dick tucked his hair back from his ear and turned on his feet. He took one last look at Jason’s friends. Their robes were umber. What an awful choice for the season.

* * *

“Put it under water.” 

Four nights until the ball, half of Hogwarts seniors and all visitors from Durmstrtang stood by the door of the lecture room peeking inside to watch their juniors suffered. 

Dick was currently occupied with the most of Hogwarts younglings, teaching simple etiquettes such as table manners and line of walks with the grace of his Parisian style. He looked down at Tim by his side, his current live dummy for the lecture.

“Put the egg down the water. That’s the clue for the next task.”

Dick huffed and pulled Tim back into a dance. He practically hovered the boy on his shoes.

“And how do you learn it?”

“I saw Jason accidentally drop the egg down the pond at the schoolyard. He dived down to pick the egg but took too long to come back up.”

“So you figured it out he must have found something.” Dick skirted the Hogwart boy around to buy time, winking at the Durmstrang students shivering by the corner. 

“It won’t harm, trying.”

“Indeed it won’t.”

If Dick remembered correctly, there was a grand bathroom on the second-floor left abandoned because of haunting ghosts. Rarely any student frequented their path around the area to avoid getting bothered. 

Right of that night, Dick slipped off the Beauxbatons appointed chambers and went down on the second floor. He still remembered every stone and corner of this centuries-old castle. 

Once he got to the bathroom, he filled the tub, a large pond fitted even two giants in, and stripped. 

He waited until the tub was full and pulled the golden egg of the casket he brought along. He had tried opening it, but what came out was only sounds of screaming ghosts threatened to break glass and windows. 

“You better be right, Timmy.”

Dick got inside the tub, hugged the egg, and dived down. 

Jason did not expect accompanied. He came to this place following the map one kind-hearted fellow of Hogwarts gave him in exchange for a photograph and 30 minutes on how to rightly hit a bludger without breaking a wrist. Plus, he was in need of some privacy. 

People here loved Quidditch perhaps even more than the students of Durmstrang, well, at better wording, people here loved watching Quidditch. 

Jason got by the door only to find the room was fairly heated up in fog and bubbles. There was someone in the large tub, clothes littered on the steps. Not Hogwarts uniform, Beauxbatons. 

Soon enough Jason got answers. Dick emerged from the water, gapping. Water flowed down from his chin, his sticky raven hair, his naked skin. 

They stared eye on eye at each other. Dick’s eyes a persian blue glowed brighter than the enchanted water surrounding him. Lashes thick and heavy, nursing droplets with their curls and let them rolled down his cheeks as bits of white diamonds. 

His shoulder blades ponded bathwater. His lips red, blood of Jason’s blood. 

A golden egg wrapped in the hug of his arms, the same egg both of them had won each from the last task of the tournament. 

“You’ve solved it.”

Dick swallowed. He nodded and put the egg away, swiping his hair back. “Half of it. There’s a riddle inside.”

“Yeah, a riddle.”

Dick stared back at Jason again. “What are you doing here?”

Jason sighed, turned on his feet. “Same as you. Unwinding.”

“Wait,” Dick called before he got behind the door. “Since you’ve made all the way here. Why don’t you join me?”

Jason must have heard it wrong. He must have. And even if he did hear it right, every muscle in his head was gearing up for brainstorming of every horrible scenario his friends had drafted out. _‘He’s a veela'_ they said, _‘they toyed with us people’_ they warned, _‘they charm, they don’t feel’_.

Of all the generous pep talks his friends showered over, Jason, in the end, found himself stepping into the tub stark naked. 

The Beauxbatons boy set the water temperature boiling hot, with Jason’s custom Russia winter cold body, it was bordering on stripping his skin alive. He got all red from ears to toes in a matter of seconds.

Dick, quick in the eyes, caught his reaction and laughed. “You look uncomfortable.”

Jason bit his lips, looking down and away from Dick’s naked skin and well-defined neckline. “I’ll consider this an exercise.”

Dick leaned back on the statue and looked up at him from under his lashes. Jason found himself swallow. “A little bird told me you’ve already known what is laid ahead in the next task.”

“A little bird?” When Dick didn’t answer, Jason took a handful of water and splashed it on his face. “Well, I did have time to figure out the riddle during the week.”

“And what comes to your mind?”

“ _Come seek us where our voices sound, we can not sing above the ground._ ” Jason read the riddle that was sung from the egg. “What can’t sing above the ground, but can down the water?”

Dick blinked, hummed. Then it hit. “Mermaids.”

“Exactly.”

Dick stayed silent. As happy as he was about knowing the answer, he didn’t like what he found.

“What’s wrong?”

Dick shook his head. “You know I’m part veela.” Jason took his time, but nodded. “Mermaids and we aren’t… fond of each other.”

“You’re intimidated by their advantages down the water.”

“Yes, quite intimidated. They aren’t friendly creatures. Since I was little, Bruce hardly ever allowed me to meddle by the Black Lake.”

“For a national academic center, this place sure is scary.”

They both laughed out. Because it was true, how scary Dick found Hogwart was ever since little and how distinctively reasonable his fear was once he entered Beauxbatons. 

“You know, I wanted to apologize about the stunt after the greeting dinner.”

Dick cut his laughing. His lips died down to a sly smile and he no longer looked at Jason. “We all make first judgments, occasionally”

Jason bit his lips. “Not all the time we go that loudly rude.”

“Rude indeed. But some will find it courage. Take this from someone who grew up under the roof of over 1000 years old academical and philosophy contribution to over half of Western Europe, you’ve proven yourself nothing far from the good mix of Slytherin and Gryffindor.”

“Slytherin and Gryffindor?”

“Greatness, and courage. Those I deem your character.”

Jason blinked. “That’s very complimenting.”

“Even truth can be pleasing sometimes.”

“I suppose that is- What on earth is that!”

Jason suddenly pulled on Dick’s shoulder and dragged him swiftly back behind his back. Pushed off-balance, Dick nearly went down the water. 

“What was that for?” Dick shouted with heat. Jason’s grip on his shoulder was iron-like, it burnt through his skin even more than the bathwater.

“Tell me you’re seeing this too.” 

Dick figured there must be something when Jason suddenly sounded so shaken. When he looked up following Jason’s tilted head, it was Myrtle floating by the ceiling.

“Good evening Myrtle.”

She giggled out loud and hoovered down the tub. “Long time no see, Richard. Such a fine handsome boy you’ve grown to be.” She slid just above the bubbles, closer to Jason’s stretched out face. “And you’ve brought company.”

“Dick.” Jason called, his whole body rigid.

“Don’t worry. She’s Moaning Myrtle, one of Hogwarts famous ghosts that haunts this area.”

“And I enjoy what I get to see.” She giggled more and jumped around in the air. “You two make a fine sight.”

Dick and Jason looked at each other, and they laughed again.

* * *

The day of Yule Ball, Hogwarts put on a new sleeve. The inner stone walls painted celtic blue of sea rocks, old statues of medieval warriors molded themselves into sculptures of Cupid, Le Printemps and kisses. Flaunted in the middle of the dining hall was an ice fountain. Music gathered in all one opulent space, an orchestra of classical pieces.

Dressed in his fur cape and suit, Jason felt a little restless. He tugged around the collar a few times.

“Relax, remember. You’re not the only one who hates this.” By his side, Artemis in her blood red gown kept her smile but added grudges in her tone. She was angry at Jason for not attending the ball with the one he wanted and instead dragged her in right at the end. 

“I could have gone with that Hogwarts girl, the fiery hair champion. But instead, I’m stuck with you, one dumb bear too stupid to reach to the exotic honey.”

“You’re going to be like this all night?”

“As a matter of fact, I am. If one fine thing this evening can do to me it would be boring you to death.”

Jason sighed. Everyone around was enjoying their time, and here he was, couldn’t wait until the night came to its end. Next by his side, Artemis made her protest by stepping on his feet every twice of her steps, and she was wearing heels. 

“Well, won’t you look at that?” She suddenly huffed.

Rain of trumpets cheered by the main door of the hall. From the stairs, stepping down was Dick Grayson himself in slick back hair and white tie. His tailcoat of teal beal, emboarded with golden pattern, buttons of deep black shining stones. He even got a little bow down his neck. Decorated on his face was the ever charming smile, and that was all he needed to get the room's attention. By his side, as equally attractive in her sparkling midnight gown cut all the way up to her upper thigh, was his friend, the brunette Beauxbatons, Donna Troy.

“They’re quite a sight, aren’t they?” Artemis clicked her tongue and glared when they walked by and Donna made a show of wiping her hair on one side. 

But Artemis was right, they were all beyond beautiful. Jason couldn’t take his eyes off them, off him. Each smile that reached his eyes, those sapphire blue of the sea and sky, it lit something in Jason. 

He watched all the way until they made to the center of the hall. Like two swans in the lake, they pulled each other in a dance. Smiling, laughing, feet tapping against the marble floor. Everybody was watching. Soon, they joined the dance. It was a night of celebration, of memories, yet most Jason’s memories seemed to stop at one sight of him, the dazingly boy in blue dancing with his friends and knew not of him from the corner.

Jason soon found himself alone in the night, huddled up by the beach among rock and seashells. From outside, little of the music could be caught from the castle. All he could see was light, orange and bright like a torch lighted on top of the rocky cliff. 

He was never much of a party person. The food here was great, better than what the strict diet Durmstrang offered, even the weather here was nicer, little snow, more of sun, yet, too many people. Hogwarts was louder than the alley of mountains where Durmstrang sat combined. People here laughed at freedom, spoke without constrains, ruleless as Kate had warned. 

“Why so lonely, handsome?”

Jason jolted in surprise and almost slipped off the rock. “Bloody Mary!”

Dick laughed, tucking his hair behind one ear. “You’re cute. Isn’t it a little too cold out here?” 

Dick had lost his tailcoat, he was in only white and the way his waistcoat hugged around his slim body was starting to mess up Jason’s head. 

“It’s not that cold. Back in my school, the only difference day and night makes is the color of the sky. We barely ever get the sun.”

“That sounds awfully distressed.” 

Dick came and sat down by his side. Winds blew hard in the night, messed up his hair and toyed with his blousy sleeves of silk. Dick shivered under the cold, wrapping himself in his own embrace.

Jason huffed and took off his cape, draping it over Dick’s shoulder.

“Thank you.”

They sat together and watched the black waves rush to the shore. 

“Why did you leave the party? You seem to be having a good time.”

Dick chuckled. His nose rubbed against the fur, bright pink from the cold. At one point, he had cuddled his knees up against his chest like a ball. “People can be overwhelming sometimes.” 

“You don’t like the crowd?”

“Not always.” 

Jason had always taken him as the people type. He was always surrounded, and seemed to enjoy it.

Jason glanced at him by the side. Dick’s eyes pinned toward the sea. In only moonlight but they shone like diamonds in the sky. His cheeks rose, colored by either the touch of wind or the fizzy drink they served at the ball.

“You’re very beautiful tonight.”

Dick snickered. “And so are you. You look as mighty as a crowned king.”

“I should have asked you for a dance… No, I should have asked to be your partner.” 

Dick looked at him, bright rounded eyes stared up from the leopard fur of Jason’s crimson cape. 

“That night… I was going to ask you when I asked you to teach us dancing.”

“I’ve figured. All of you may lack grace, but your feet know the lessons.” Dick dug himself further into the cape. “I should have asked too. I wanted to go with you.”

“You did?”

“I still do. I had hoped you would come back and offered your hand. But you didn’t, and I ended up with no one to go with but Donna.”

“Wait, seriously?”

Jason turned toward Dick, and he looked up at him. They were so close, Dick’s breath was still stained of fruity cocktails, and Jason’s warm of the rising heat in him. They were kissing before knowing. Jason’s palm rested one side of Dick’s cheek, tendering him. He was as soft as a feather, sweet as a wildberry. 

They took no break, kept kissing and kissing until Jason laid him flat down the rock and half loomed over him. 

When they broke apart, Dick had water in his eyes, and Jason’s face lit up like fire burning underneath his skin.

“You’re red.” Dick giggled.

“And you’re breathtaking.” 

Dick laughed louder. His voice was as of wind chimes swinging on a rainy day. Curling in the puddle of Jason’s cape, with hair a spoiled ink against the rock, he was so beautiful, so uptight. Jason wanted to rip his waistcoat open, devour him, keep him to himself.

Dick bit his lips, blinking at him. As if reading Jason’s mind, his hand tugged at Jason’s coat and dragged him down, smashing their lips together again.

Tonight was going to be a long entertaining night. 

* * *

“You got laid!” was what Donna screamed the moment Dick got back to their quarter of campus.

“Don’t even try to lie. Someone has definitely bedded you.” 

From upstairs, Kyle looked down at them with a smirk. “Same clothes, tousled hair? He doesn’t even have room to argue.”

“Hey, what makes you think I’m the one bedded. Maybe I’m the one who did the bedding.”

Donna rolled her eyes. “Please, you’re you. You never do the bedding, even with a lady.”

“I’d bed him.” Kory jumped down from upon the couch. “Again.”

Dick let them fill in the chat and went unbuttoned his shirt and sleeves. 

“So, who was the lucky lad among the ogling crowd last night?”

Dick checked himself in the mirror, didn’t even turn back and see his friends. 

“A warrior.”

His friends looked at each other. “A Durmstrang?”

When Dick all but smirked, they gasped in excitement. “Mon dieu! It must be the Fiendfyre champion, he had spent all night peering your back from the corner like a lion.”

“You must tell me the sight under all the layers. Was he built like a centaur?”

Dick came back in the room, naked with only an open dress shirt and bare legs with sock garters. Oh, Jason just loved these garters. 

“Like a disruptive one.” 

Dick sat down the couch right by the fireplace, and all of his friends gathered around, expecting, excited.

“Was he rough?”

“No, strange enough. He was both rough and gentle.” Dick grabbed a pillow close by and stared at the fire, smiling himself at the memories. “Quoted me Leo Tolstoy and offered a spring visit to watch the cherry blossom bloom.”

His friends all looked amazed. 

“Really? He struck me a different image of a man.” 

“Oh, he is a gentleman in all sense.”

“Gentlemen have a thing for you, don’t they? Especially the older ones. Put a cigarette between red lips and all tailcoats turn to offer a light.”

Dick rolled his eyes. “Okay, that happened once.”

“In the middle of Paris street!”

Out of defense, Dick turned to tuck his hair back behind his hair under his friends’ snickers. 

“Come on, let it be honest, swans of Tchaikovsky,” Donna fixed her throat and curled a lock of Dick’s hair around her finger. “My dear prince, are you sure the happening of this event will diminish the upcoming task? Remember, it’s a deep dark pit of swampelling mermaids like a pool of maggots, they’ll feed on you no different than a piece of fat if not an appearance of a large witless true blood attracting them.”

Of course Dick knew this. It was his first intention in mind when he saw Jason stare at him at the courtyard during flying practice. A hint of interest was all it took to lure a person into his web of affection. But then Jason was… different. He was selfless and kind, charming yet clumsy, fierce yet so tender it touched Dick’s bones. Lied on those hands of power and strength, were nothing more but a wisdom mind embracing the little of himself in this world, knowing that he knew nothing. 

Dick was drawn to him by those bits of flaws, plotless character yet braveness at purest. And the idea of advancing himself along the tasks just slipping off bits by bits by the grace he fondly held his hand and laid his lips on Dick’s knuckles. 

“Don’t tell me you’re starting to feel for him.” Kory lowered down by his head. Her hair pooled down his shoulder, fiery and red no different than the fire burning on the woods.

“He quoted Leo Tolstoy!”

“Ai, aren’t all Durmstrang romantic fencers dreaming of love in the heat of battling fire? Don’t act foolish just upon his saying of a divided two world, you and the dark.” 

Dick rolled his eyes. Little of them appreciated the kindness of love, not when its sourness of pain tained the memories better than the gentle strokes.

“Please, I’ll bring back the trophy of victory, if that is what you all desire.”

His friends looked at each other, and then back at him. 

“Dick, we want not the cup. It is pleasing to win, but it’s just one too many victories.”

“What we want is you not being foolish over someone worth not of you.”

“He has fortune.”

“And do you. A castle on the rock and a vault of gold, when you’re both affluent, love matters.”

It was too soon to call it love, but Dick knew if this kept on, Jason would fall, and maybe he too.

* * *

The day the task came, it was even colder than usual. They all huddled at the Black Lake against the winds and cutting cold, it was magic that there wasn’t any snow and the lake had stayed unfrozen. 

Dick shivered in his trunk, face pale like a bone. By his side, Jason kept rubbing his hands on his, he was never unfazed by the cold. If he even told Dick that the weather at Hogwarts was pleasing, only God knew how they survived on the mountains of Durmstrang. 

“This is bloody torture.” Dick's teeth clicked together nonstop. Back in his childhood days, Bruce had always burned twice the amount of white oak and kept the fire burning even during the day for him. 

Lucky for him that Jason was a walking furnace. He even got steam wafted of his naked half like a bowl of hot soup. 

“Don’t worry, it should get warmer down there.” 

Shuddering in his embrace (when did Jason embrace him?), Dick could barely spit out a reply. “How is it supposed to be warmer with more water?”

“Just trust me.” Jason laughed and kissed Dick’s hair. 

The Black Lake was everything that it was called, pitch black and downright horrifying. Jason was the first to jump down. He proceeded a transformation spell and turned himself into a shark at full shape. 

Sharks were fast at speed, daring predators among the sea and water life. He found no mermaid on his way, his path was practically deserted. In this situation, dark art sure came in handy. Jason could see everything, things his human eyes would have failed to view.

Dick, on the other hand, chose himself a bubble-head charm and swam close by Jason’s tail at best. 

They soon came to meet a forest of seaweed. The plants grew long, thick and bushed a wide scape of the lake. Dick understood this was when the task honestly started.

He swam through the seaweeds. The green grew so thick and prospered, Dick struggled to see, to move his limbs, finding them bind and slid against his skin like strings of robe.

It felt like eternity to get out, but he finally did. But once he did, he found out. Jason was nowhere to be seen.

“Shit.”

Jason was his key defense here. Even with his wand, Dick wasn’t sure if he could beat against the mer if they ever met. Jason must have been stuck somewhere right on the edge, considering his large side. 

Like Godilac, Dick had three options. Either swim ahead, taking back whatever the mer had taken from him, and win this. Or go for Jason, in case anything shall come along the way, and taking the chance of second, or worse, being the last winner. And last, as suggested and first planned by most of his roommates, he stuck to Jason, and waited for the last minute of action to jeopardize his mission and take the win.

Dick didn’t have much time. The longer he lingered, the longer he considered, the lesser the chances. 

Dick stared ahead, swore again, he already broke his record in one single morning. He reached for his wand by the left leg, and got back among the seaweed in search of one dump shark.

* * *

Jason rethought everything. He regretted his life decisions immensely. In his full shark form, not only did he get stuck in the mangle of seaweeds, but he couldn’t also reach for his wands to undo the spell.

He did predict the water, he predicted the mermaid and all the pros he could get by turning into a water life predator. What he didn’t predict though, was seaweeds in a sweet water lake. Wasn’t there a sea in seaweed?

Jason was still in the middle of wriggling himself out of the web of slimy plants when he saw something ahead moving among the greens.

Mermaid? A big fish perhaps? Wouldn’t it be any chance Hogwarts planned a surprise for the champions, right?

Whatever it was, Jason wouldn’t mind biting it to pieces. He had eyes up, focus. The plants started parting from afar, closer it got. 

But then there were hands. Dick’s pretty face moved out from among the seaweed, a big white grin he gave Jason. Thank god. 

He grabbed on his fin, untangled all the seaweeds trapped around him. His hands palmed around Jason’s head, and his smile was the most beautiful thing Jason had ever seen. 

Dick guided them out safe and sound. But once they got out, waiting by the clear edge were mermaids. Not just a few, but a lot. They ranged in circles, prowling on them upon the higher and down the deeper water. With teeth sharp, fins of thrones and nails of talons, they strode very far away from Muggles' fantasy of mystic beauty.

Jason pushed Dick closed behind him. They looked at each other, nodded, and swam ahead. 

Their road toward the black cliff where their taken things were kept wasn’t easy. Dick rolled his back watching everything move in full alarm. The mermaids wanted him, no joke. They swam in circled, teeth bare, fin raised. They could rip a hippo to pieces and oh, they were dying to shedder Dick the same way.

Jason made no sound, he let his giant jaw hang open and hushed Dick under his body, shielding him all the way. 

Nonetheless, they finally get to the cliff without a scratch. Dick swam ahead, and Jason circled around in watch. 

“Impossible.” Dick gasped. 

There were three champions in represent for three schools, Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Floating in the water, chained by ropes were two bodies in uniforms. Two. There was one spot left empty, and the string hung on nothing. 

Dick saw his friend Troy in the middle, and the head of Department of Magical law enforcement, Sir Gordon. He must be Barbara, Hogwarts champion, father.

Dick turned and looked at Jason who swam close to him. Troy was his friend, Sir Gordon was Barbara’s dad, then where was Jason’s precious?

By the look, Jason seemed as confused as Dick. He scanned around, trying to see if by chance his taken thing was laid somewhere else, but all there was the black cliff by ahead of them, no even a rock was found down the bottom.

“This isn’t fair.” Dick muttered. “How can you win like this?”

The rule declared they must resurface with their items to be able to finish the task. 

Jason stayed silent. As absurd as it might seem, Dick doubted his silence because he was in shark form at this moment. He was thinking.

Then suddenly, Jason nudged his head to Dick’s side and pushed him toward Troy. 

“Jason, what are you doing?”

He looked at Dick for a moment. And Dick knew those eyes teal blue eyes, sometimes more green than blue, the same tenderness, the same warmth. He looked up at the surface, and Dick knew what he meant. 

“You want me to go alone.”

Jason nodded. 

Dick sucked in. He knew why he was here with Jason, knew his choice. He had finally come to this step, he couldn’t renege. 

Dick pulled off his wand strapped by his ankle and shot the rope. Troy floated away, Dick grabbed her, took one look down Jason who circled around scaring off the mer to clear his path, and swam up.

When they finally got to the surface, cheers applauded. Dick gasped in rush, turned to see Troy shaking out of her sleeping spell, smiling. 

“You did it.” She whispered in a shiver. Now that Dick finally understood why Jason had said it would be warmer down the water.

The air plastered on his face, on his hair sticking on his skin, breezing coldness of Hogwarts winter. 

Dick looked down the water, and saw nothing but darkness reflecting his face. 

“I did what must be done.”

Troy looked but didn’t say a word. They both swam toward their awaiting friends and Diana. Dick was laughing back at them when suddenly, something pulled both his ankles down the water. 

He heard people yelling his name, caught a swift look of Donna’s horror when the thing pulled him down kept on drowning him deeper and deeper down the water. His minds flashed through a thousand things. Grindylows? Mermaids? Bruce had mentioned once there was a giant squid living in the darkest cliff. The more he thought, the more he panicked. Dick struggled but couldn't move. He couldn’t breathe. 

And briskly, he saw a flash of lightning striking on him. Everything went dark.

* * *

Dick jerked awake when the cold hit him again. This time brisker. This time, he was swimming but hugged by a strong muscle around his chest. Dick heaved for air, turning back looking around to catch what just happened. And he saw Jason’s strong jawline, his cold frown of knitted brows as the grey grills by his neck slowly faded off. His short hair touched down the lined forehead. Eyes of teal blue, now burnt hot green. 

He clutched Dick in his arm so tight, Dick couldn’t even move a muscle. Just like that, he carried both of them to Durmstrang hut. Jason’s friends helped pull Dick off the water, and wrapped him into a bundle of towels. 

“You okay, little swan?”

Little swan? 

Dick didn’t know who that girl was but he nodded a thank you when she dried his hair for him.

“What happened? Jason’s friend turned to him. “His friend was saved first, he just drowned all of a sudden.”

Jason dried his hair, didn’t say a word. Water steamed off his skin like off a burning charcoal. Dick trembled among the blanket, blinking his eyes staring at him. He was freezing, losing feeling of his toes. And Jason was just there, bathing in winter cold without a flinch. 

The Durmstrang finally let out a sigh. He kneeled down in front of Dick’s face, touched his face. His skin was burning hot. 

“You okay?”

Dick’s teeth clicked together but he managed. “Ye...yeah.”

“You’re it, Dick.”

Dick blinked. “What?”

Jason looked down his feet, chewing on his lip. He made another sigh and looked up smiling at Dick. “You are my “something dear”. The moment your friend was freed, the lake turned awake. It pulled you down and put you in a sleeping spell. You are what belongs to the third rope, my rope.” He ruffled Dick’s head. “I’m sorry I made you lose like this.”

Dick took his time digesting Jason’s explanation. Around him, Jason’s friends wolf-whistled and shoulder bumped Jason. 

Dick just sat there, shuddering in the cutting cold, dripping wet, mind a blank space.

Jason turned worried and drafted another towel around Dick’s neck, touching his face, his hair.

“Hey hey, you okay?”

Dick slowly nodded, chirped. “Okay.”

“You’re...not mad, right?” When Dick didn’t answer. Jason’s face changed color. “Please don’t get angry. I… I didn’t mean to. I know you want to win, me too. But... I... Fuck. I can’t control this-”

“No swearing.”

“And you’re just too damn cute- Wait what?” Jason stopped short. 

Dick glanced from behind Jason’s shoulder and saw Diana in his school private hut smiled with a nod of her head. Behind her, Donna and Kory were giving thumbs up with both hands. 

Dick could feel his face heating up. Something tingling sparked down his stomach. For once in his life, Dick was upset about losing.

Did he know Jason liked him? Of course he did, the boy was an open book since the very beginning. He planned to win by taking advantage of his naive feelings from the start. He knew Jason’s strength and courage was a weapon that he could turn from facing into using.

What he didn’t expect though, was how serious Jason was about him. How this boy could quote Leo Tolstoy when confessing. How he kept asking permission for even a kiss then made Dick see stars with how he moved. 

Dick buried his face further behind the fluffy towels. His ears burnt hot, and his cheeks too.

“I like you too.”

Jason was astounded. His friends balled their eyes looking at them. And the more everyone stared, the more Dick felt like he was shrinking under their curious gazes. Dick suddenly wanted to jump back down the lake.

Jason crashed close to Dick’s face, down on both knees. “You...you’re serious, right?”

“Of course I am. Don’t belittle my avowal.” Dick snapped. “It doesn’t happen offtimes.” Then whispered under his breath.

When he looked up, he was pretty sure he never knew Jason had that many teeth. Because the boy was smiling so wildly. 

* * *

Dick came storming into Bruce’s office like a wrecking tornado. 

“I lost!” He yelled.

Bruce smoothed a hand over his chest and picked back up his fountain pen. “Yes, perhaps you’re aware I was there this morning as well.”

“And you’re not going to do anything about it!? It’s.just.not.fair!”

By this point, Bruce gave up and let go of his pen. Signing a long dreadful sound, he finally looked up at a fuming Dick in his nightwear.

“Did you just get off bed?”

“How can I sleep when the trophy was literally ripped off my hands like that! You knew I’d win if not for this.”

Dick stomped his feet down the fur rug and pouted like a child. Bruce couldn’t help a shy smile. Standing by the fireplace, in his nightwear, and with a beat red frowny face, Dick aged back to the days when he passed out on Bruce’s laps waiting for him to get paperwork done.

“You wanted this.”

The more he looked at Dick’s angry face, the more his lips spread. “Why would I want such awful event?”

Dick went on making some questionable noises, waved his hands in the air and flopped down the recliner by the fireplace. “I hate you. If I didn’t love you so much I’d really hate you right now.”

Dick would be an idiot if he missed how Bruce lingered his eyes on him, or how the pen in his hand was upside down. 

Yes, they might fight. They might disagree on many, many things. And maybe, Bruce’s life and the hideous weather of Hogwarts would never earn Dick’s heart. But he loved the man who raised him. 

Dick complained until he tired out by the crackling flame. But even behind the close lids, he knew whose hands had put a blanket on him, and whose lips landed on his forehead. 

Sometimes, the graceful way of love wasn’t audible. 

* * *

In the end, Jason set the final task in a fair score with Barbara. He was a hunter by nature, and all the time living under Durmstrang hash training on the white mountains clearly did him good, but Barbara was always way smarter than what people gave her credit for, and people had given her a lot of credit right from the start.

Dick sat through the rest of the task pouting, feet itching for a run because clearly, he could have done way better than them if put in a maze. But in the end, he stuck among the crowd, worse, his seat was right in between the barrier of Durmstrang role and his school. And Jason’s friends had given him weird eyes the whole time.

By the end of the tournament, it was obvious that Jason won. His total score surpassed any other champion’s, Dick would have been in his place if he didn’t fail the second task so absurdly.

On the ceremony day, Durmstrang received their first ever Triwizard cup in history. And from that day, Jason marked his name in the school book of golden achievement. 

“Remember when I asked you to visit my school in spring break?” 

Dick turned back to Jason in his cape smiling at him. Behind his back, his friends were fighting over the golden trophy. 

They were all getting ready to head back to their schools. And it was only until this moment that Dick realized, they lived a world away, two sides of the globe. 

“Yes, of course.”

Jason came over by his side. He pulled off his gloves and took Dick’s hand in his. “I meant it, every word.”

Dick huffed and couldn’t believe his eyes. He knew, he just knew, that at the moment if he asked for the trophy, Jason would give it to him.

And he could just do that, right? But it didn’t matter anymore, because Jason’s eyes now bluer than ever by the sunrise light. 

“You trust me to wait for you?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Jason turned back to see his friends waving at their boat. They would all be leaving soon. Dick would be leaving soon flying back to France. With luck, he prayed what they had wouldn’t be just a good memory.

He knew veelas. He knew what they did. He knew what Dick was capable of. But he chose to trust the boy whose ears a raspberry shade when realizing how much he valued in Jason's heart.

“Paris is very far from my hometown, isn’t it?”

Dick pushed his lips. “It is.”

“It’d be cold even in spring.”

“It would.”

“You might hate it even more than here.”

Dick smirked. “I might.”

At this point, Jason had got into Dick’s personal space. The sun glimmered on the pearl white of his teeth, colored his smile. 

“Would you still go when I come to get you?”

Should he? Dick knew he could have anyone he wanted. He was an enchanting veela, a powerful wizard, a proud Beauxbatons student, and the heir of Bruce’s fortune. Every door was open for him the moment his beauty bloomed.

Jason, as charming and fierce, was a dark wizard. He was trained and likely, one day, would cross boundaries with that Dick’s power protected. 

Jason Todd. What an interesting person he was.

Jason sucked in and held his lungs tight. He waited for an answer that was taking too long to come. And just when he thought Dick would turn and refuse, his collar was grasped and he was pulled with such mighty strength. 

Dick’s lips crashed against Jason’s. He tasted like berries, smelt like citrus, sweet like vanilla.

“I don’t need you to come and get me.” He gasped once they pulled apart. A long finger slipped over Jason’s lips, a cat smile hung on Dick’s. 

“When the time comes, I’ll go to you. And you will welcome me.”

And both of them just couldn’t wait until the first blossom bloomed. 


End file.
